Seattle Parks and Recreation is pleased to announce the start of the 2012/2013 cycle of the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund. Under the 2008 Levy, this fund allocates $15 million for community initiated park development or property acquisition projects. In the first round, $7 million was allocated; $8 million is available this cycle.

With guidance from the City Council, the Levy Oversight Committee – an advisory board comprised of appointed volunteers – developed the 2012/2013 evaluation criteria, which they will use to assess, nominate, and recommend a package of projects to the Mayor and City Council.

Project proposal letters are due by 4 p.m. on Monday, June 11, 2012, and full project applications are due by 4 p.m. on Monday, September 17, 2012. Because of the tight timeline, Parks cannot accept late proposal letters and applications, and no applications will be accepted without an initial proposal letter.

Parks is hosting a series of workshops over the next three months to help the public with the application process. The first round of technical assistance workshops will focus on project proposal letters and are scheduled for the following dates:

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

6 – 7:30 p.m.

West Seattle Golf Clubhouse

Banquet Hall

4470 35th Ave. SW

Seattle WA 98126

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Greenwood Library

8016 Greenwood Ave. N

Seattle, WA 98103

Thursday, May 3, 2012

6 – 7:30 p.m.

Jefferson Community Center

3801 Beacon Ave. S

Seattle, WA 98108

Technical assistance workshops for potential applications are scheduled for late June; dates and times will be announced separately. Parks will host open houses in October and November for applicants to present their projects to the Levy Oversight Committee.

This year Parks is using an online application system, and the templates for proposal letters and applications are available on the Opportunity Fund website along with the criteria, detailed timeline, upcoming meetings, and analysis maps.

Seattle Parks and Recreation invites local residents to help a well-used neighborhood basketball court in Seattle transform into a refreshed play space where teens can express all their moves.

This spring, through the Sprite Spark Parks Project, Sprite and the NRPA are giving people an opportunity to get their local courts back in the game. The basketball courts in Seattle have been selected as one of 25 sites nationwide to be refreshed through the program, and local residents can show their support and raise funds by voting at www.SpriteSparkParks.com.

With the help of the NRPA, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing park, recreation and conservation efforts, Sprite identified Pratt Park as one of 25 parks to receive a grant to revamp basketball courts. Each of the selected courts, located in public parks throughout the nation, will receive funding based on the number of votes they earn through May 31.

Visitors can vote for Pratt Park by submitting the My Coke Rewards codes found on Sprite and Sprite Zero Fridge Pack™, 20-pack, 24-pack, 20 oz. and 2-liter products. Sprite will donate $275,000 to be distributed among the 25 parks in grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000. The funds will be used to refurbish rims, backboards, lights, benches and playing surfaces – sparking new life to these courts.

“The mission of the Sprite Spark Parks Project is to refresh neighborhood basketball courts so teens can be healthy and active, and this year, we’re getting 25 courts back in the game by funding grants,” said Michael Matthews of Coca-Cola North America. “We’re excited to give people an opportunity to earn grants for their local parks and recreation agency to restore the courts where they love to play.”

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“Parks, playgrounds and recreational facilities across the country are the best places for kids and teens to go to be physically active, improve their health and wellness and have fun,” said Barbara Tulipane president and CEO of NRPA. “We are proud to work with Sprite on this restorative effort because we must preserve and maintain these public spaces so that all can take advantage of the healthy benefits they have to offer for years to come.”

Located in the Central Area at 1800 S Main St., Pratt Park was named after Edwin T. Pratt in 1976. Pratt was a community leader and a founder of the Central Area Motivation Program and the Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center. His namesake park features an exciting play area, a large grassy area with picnic tables and barbecue stands, shady trees, lots of room to run around in an open field, and a popular basketball court pavilion. A Sprite Spark Parks grant will help with the costs of repairing and relining the court surface, replacing missing nets, removing graffiti, and bringing a new spark to the courts.

Parks is asking for the public’s support to help secure the maximum possible grant. Your help can make a big difference. Community members can also use and distribute this special voting code to place an extra vote for Pratt Park Basketball Courts: SPRITEPARKSEA. This code can be used once a day per person.

Supporters can cast votes at http://www.SpriteSparkParks.com by May 31. Making Pratt Park an even better place to play for local youth would be a great win for our community.

Seattle Parks and Recreation invites the public to learn about proposed modifications to the north parking lot and the waterline replacement at Discovery Park on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Discovery Park Visitor Center, 3801 Discovery Park Blvd. in Seattle. Andy Sheffer of Parks and John Rundle of WR Consulting will present project details and gather community comments.

North Parking Lot: This project includes modifications to the westbound lane of the access roadway along the north side of the parking area to eliminate erosion to the ravine below, including minor regarding for drainage and stormwater treatment improvements, repair and removal of some paving, and a mulch or gravel walkway.

Water Line Replacement: Approximately 800 feet of the 8” water main along Kansas Ave that connects to the existing main in the intersection at the south and north ends of the road is being replaced. The existing east-west main will serve as a carrier pipe for a new 2” service line to the Theater site area. The proposal includes removal of the remaining service drive paving to this area and restoration work consisting of the removal of existing utilities and surface features, minor grading, relocation of bollards, and plantings.

Seattle Parks and Recreation and Marination, the new Seacrest Boathouse concessionaire, announce a delay in the transition of the boathouse to a Marination facility.

Since early March, Marination has been working with Parks to prepare and submit architectural and design plans for remodeling and tenant improvements of the boathouse. Most of these proposed improvements are for the interior of the building. As Marination was preparing to submit its building permit application to the City’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD) on March 8, DPD staff informed Marination that additional review would be necessary for a conditional use permit needed for the restaurant use.

The space in question is the kitchen area that was formerly a boat repair space. The need for a restaurant permit was not anticipated, since the boathouse has been used primarily as a restaurant/food service facility since the late 1990s. A conditional use permit typically takes two to four months for review and approval. This timeline will likely delay Marination’s anticipated opening of June 2012.

Seattle Parks and DPD are working closely with Marination to complete this process and continue to work toward an early summer 2012 Opening. There will still be an Open House at the Boathouse in late spring to introduce Marination to the public and to provide the public with an update.

Seattle Parks and Recreation announces a temporary art exhibition from the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) on Pier 62/63 that will be in place through Saturday, March 31, 2012.

The temporary exhibition, called “Weather or Not,” is an outdoor dynamic exhibition of collaborative temporary installations and works using clay in a way that interacts with the weather. The event is free and open to the public.

This exhibition is part of NCECA’s 46th Annual Conference taking place in Seattle from March 28-31, 2012 at the Washington State Convention Center: http://nceca.net/static/conference_home.php. The conference’s theme, “On the Edge,” was developed especially for the Seattle/ Pacific-Northwest region where more than 170 related exhibitions will be sited.

Please direct inquiries about the use of Pier 62/63 to:
Dewey Potter, Seattle Parks and Recreation, at 206-684-7241 or dewey.potter@seattle.gov.

Please direct inquiries about “Weather or Not,” or other National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts events in Seattle, to Marge Levy at margelevy@comcast.net.

Seattle Parks and Recreation has been recognized for helping employees eat better and move more.

“Physical activity and employee wellness are important priorities at Seattle Parks and Recreation,” said Acting Superintendent Christopher Williams. “We are honored and excited to be recognized by the American Heart Association as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Company. This recognizes our efforts to set a good example for the public we serve, and is a neat fit with our Healthy Parks, Healthy You Initiative (http://www.seattle.gov/parks/healthyparks/default.htm), our effort to promote physical activity and wellness in Seattle.”

We’re committed to providing the best workplace environment possible, which benefits the health of both the public and our employees. Platinum-level employers:

Offer employees physical activity options in the workplace.

Increase healthy eating options at the worksite.

Promote a wellness culture in the workplace.

Implement at least nine criteria outlined by the American Heart Association in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and culture.

Demonstrate measurable outcomes related to workplace wellness.

To meet these criteria, Parks and Recreation has made the change to healthy offerings in its vending machines throughout the 26-community center, 10-pool system, and regularly offers incentives to employees to engage in at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. Parks is also hosting 18 sites for the Heart Association’s National Walking Day on Wednesday, April 4. For details, please see http://parkways.seattle.gov/.

The Fit-Friendly Companies program creates positive change in the American workforce by helping companies make their employees’ health and wellness a priority.

American employers are losing an estimated $225.8 billion a year because of health care expenses and health-related losses in productivity, and those numbers are rising. Many American adults spend most of their waking hours at sedentary jobs. Their lack of regular physical activity raises their risk for a host of medical problems, including obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Employers face $12.7 billion in annual medical expenses due to obesity alone.

The American Heart Association is working to change corporate cultures by motivating employees to start walking, which has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity.

Recognition is a critical component of the Fit-Friendly Companies program. Employers who join this program qualify for official recognition by the American Heart Association. They are listed on the program’s national website, Seattle Parks’ website, and materials for the upcoming August 25 “Big Day of Play” at Magnuson Park (http://www.seattle.gov/parks/healthyparks/big_day.htm).

“The Fit-Friendly Companies Program offers a unique, easy-to-implement opportunity for agencies to increase employees’ physical activity, which will help improve their health – and their employers’ bottom line,” said Seattle Parks Recreation Director Sue Goodwin. “Even people who haven’t exercised regularly until middle age can reap significant benefits by starting a walking program. A study published in 1986 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that some adults may gain two hours of life expectancy for every hour of regular, vigorous exercise they performed.”

For more information about the Fit-Friendly Companies program and how it is helping to improve the health of Americans by focusing on an activity that is convenient, free and easy, call 206-632-6881 or visit www.startwalkingnow.org.

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or join us, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or any of our offices around the country, or visit heart.org.

Work with Australian Artist Konstantin Dimopoulos To Bring The Blue Trees To Westlake Park And The Burke-Gilman Trail

4Culture, the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, the City of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, and Seattle Parks and Recreation proudly present The Blue Trees, a socially-driven art action. Created and conceived by Australian artist Konstantin Dimopoulos, the project will temporarily and dramatically transform trees in Seattle’s Westlake Park and along the Burke-Gillman Trail in Kenmore beginning April 2. Using water-based, environmentally safe pigment, Dimopoulos will color the treesa striking ultramarine blue, inspiring awareness and discussion about global deforestation. An ephemeral work, the trees gradually revert back to their natural state.

Participate

Volunteers are needed to help make the project a success. Over the course of eight days, with your help, the artist will transform 16 existing Honey Locust trees at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle and 40 newly planted Jacquemontii Birch trees along the Burke-Gilman Trail near NE Bothell Way and 80th Ave NE in Kenmore, which will enhance the trail and remain as a legacy for the community. Volunteers must register in order to participate.

Tree coloring at Westlake Park, Details will be provided upon registration:

Tree planting at Burke Gilman Trail, Kenmore, Directions will be provided upon registration: Planting trees with guidance from King County Parks staff and touching up color on the trees with the artist.

Monday, April 9, 2012: 9am-4pm, shifts to be assigned

Tuesday, April 10, 2012: 9am-4pm, shifts to be assigned

*Tools and gloves will be provided. Snacks and refreshments will be served.

Interested in volunteering? Have Questions?

Volunteers interested in participating at Westlake Park can contact Adele Dimopoulos by email at info@kondimopoulos.com or by telephone at (206) 890-4315.

Volunteers interested in participating in the installation along the Burke-Gilman Trail should contact Laurie Clinton by email at Laurie.Clinton@kingcounty.gov or by telephone at (206) 296-4452.

Bring your basket and enjoy a fun, family day in the park with a traditional egg hunt for children ages 11 and younger. A bunny will lead the children on a search for goodies and prizes. Meet at the community center promptly at 10 am.

International District/Chinatown Community Center, 719 – 8th Ave. S.

Saturday, April 7, 10 a.m.

Cost: Free

Ages: 2-11

Egg Hunt at Rainier Community Center

Come to the annual Spring Egg Hunt. Please bring a bag or basket to collect goodies. We always need volunteers to help; please call the center to find out how you can help with this fun event! Hunting begins at 10 am sharp!

Rainier Community Center, 4600 38th Ave. S.

Saturday, April 7, 10 a.m.

Cost: Free

Ages 11 and younger

Spring Egg Hunt and Pancake Social at Jefferson Community Center

Bring a basket or a bag to gather up goodies at our Sprint Egg Hunt! All Children 10 years of age and younger are welcome, come rain or shine! This year we are also having a pancake breakfast before the start of the egg hunt, so make sure you are here bright and early!

Jefferson Community Center, 3801 Beacon Ave. S.

Saturday, April 7, 9 am – Noon; Egg Hunt begins at 10 sharp

Costs: Egg Hunt is free

Pancake Social: $4 per person for pancakes only; $5 per person for pancakes and sausage; and $6 for pancakes, sausage and eggs

All Ages

Spring Egg Hunt and Pancake Breakfast at Van Asselt Community Center

Bring a bag, basket, bonnet or anything that will carry and scavenger for eggs in this traditional local event. A Pancake Breakfast will follow the egg hunt.

Van Asselt Community Center, 2820 S. Myrtle St.

Saturday, April 7, 10 – 11:30 am

Costs: Egg Hunt is free and starts at 10 a.m. sharp

Pancake Breakfast: $3 per person for all-you-can-eat pancakes with syrup, butter, and juice.

Egg Hunt Ages 2-8

West Seattle

Toddler Spring Eggstravaganza at High Point Community Center

Join us for a morning of fun and activities, including a very special bunny visit especially for

toddlers. There will be games, crafts for the children and an egg hunt (at 11 a.m. sharp!) with age-appropriate prizes and snacks.

High Point Community Center, 6920 34th Ave. SW

Thursday, April 5, 10 a.m. – Noon

Cost: $5

Ages 2-5

West Seattle Community Centers Spring Egg Hunt has moved!!!!

There is so much more to explore!

Join us for an ALL ages egg hunt with games, face painting, jump toys, music by Caspar Babypants, concessions, and much more! Please call your local community center for details or to purchase a wrist band.

Join in the fun as the Montlake, Miller and Garfield community centers join forces to hold the greatest egg hunt ever! The event has moved to Cal Anderson Park and begins at 10 am. Donations are gladly accepted.

Cal Anderson Park, 1635 11th Ave.

Saturday, April 7, 10 a.m. – Noon

Cost: Free

Ages 1- 11

Spring Egg Hunt at Queen Anne Community Center

Bring a basket or a bag to gather up all of the goodies you’ll find at the Queen Anne Annual Spring Egg hunt for children. Come rain or shine! Donations are gladly accepted.

Meet in the Queen Anne Gym, 1901 1st Ave. W

Saturday, April 7, 10 a.m. – Noon

Cost: Free

All Ages

Spring Egg Hunt at Yesler Community Center

Gather up all of the goodies found at the Yesler Annual Spring Egg hunt for children 11 and under. Come rain or shine! Donations are gladly accepted.

Meadowbrook Community Center, 10517 35th Ave. NE (meet at the Nathan Hale High School Track)

Saturday, April 7, 10 a.m.

Cost: Free

Ages 1-11

Spring Egg Hunt at Laurelhurst Community Center

The Laurelhurst Community Center is teaming up with the Lifelong Recreation and Special Populations units to once again offer a fun, community-building event for all to enjoy. Be sure to

bring your basket to hunt for eggs and special prizes. Visit with your friends and family at our coffee and donuts fundraiser after the hunt.

Laurelhurst Park Playground, 4554 NE 41st St.

Saturday, April 7, 10 a.m. sharp (Please plan to arrive by 9:45 a.m.)

Cost: Free with canned food donation

Ages 12 and younger

Northwest Seattle

Spring Egg Hunts for Northwest Seattle Community Centers

Ages 10 and under

Join your neighbors for the quickest special event of the year; the Spring Candy and Egg Hunt! Plan enough time to park and find your age group hunt area. This event runs rain or shine. Be sure to bring a basket or bag to put all of your goodies in! We will also collect non-perishable food items for the local food bank. We need volunteers, so if you’re willing and able, please call your local community center.

Magnuson Park is getting a new picnic shelter! Seattle Parks and Recreation partnered with Skanska USA Building Inc., who donated all the materials and labor to construct a new shelter that is made of durable materials to reduce maintenance and lessen opportunities for vandalism.

Construction fencing goes up on Monday, March 26, and demolition of the existing structure is scheduled for the first week in April with construction immediately following. The new picnic shelter will be complete in May, and open to the public in time for summer barbecues and fun at the beach.

For more information about the project, please visit the website at http://seattle.gov/parks/maintenance/magnuson_picnic_shelter.htm
or contact Project Manager Kelly Davidson at Seattle Parks and Recreation, 800 Maynard Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98134, 206-684-0998, or Kelly.davidson@seattle.gov.